Blog posts, landing pages, videos on social media… Have you tried everything and you’re still not quite getting the clicks you need, the purchases you were hoping for, or the traffic you were expecting? At Intelligent Ink we understand there’s nothing more frustrating than pouring your heart and soul into the creation of content only for it to not have the impact you were hoping for.

Content is a powerful, persuasive tool but, like any tool, you need to keep it sharp or its effectiveness will be limited. Different forms of content will have different effects on your audience, and there’s no doubt that the way you word things matters. That’s why – to really have an impact – it’s important to first consider what you’re trying to achieve before you put pen to paper.

Today we’re looking at how to elicit particular responses in your audiences – changing the way they think, feel or act. Keep in mind, too, that you can use many of these in combination. As many good psychologists will tell you, it’s a lot easier to change someone’s behaviour once you’ve changed their thought processes!

Changing how someone thinks

Getting someone to think is all about piquing their interest and forcing them to engage their brains. The most straight-forward method of accomplishing this is by simply asking your audience a question (or several):

What do you enjoy about your daily commute to work?

How satisfied were you the last time you left the bank?

What frustrates you most about preparing dinner in the evening?

Questions will instantly and naturally elicit responses in your audience. They can be a great way of getting them to identify a problem that you’ve already figured out how to fix; they help your audience to identify (and identify with) your market need.

Of course, instead of asking someone what they think, you can also be a little more direct and explicitly tell them what to think. Say something a little contrary to the norm (or what you anticipate your audience’s opinion to be) and you’ll either reinforce their original belief or get them to challenge their own views (sometimes it can be hard to know which way they’ll go!) Either way, you should get their brain ticking over. This can be an even more powerful tool if you frame the message within a story so that the audience naturally reach the somewhat contrary conclusion – showing, again, the impact that stories can have.

Changing how someone feels

You’ll want to be targeting a different part of the brain if you’re trying to evoke emotions in your audience, and that means you’ll need to try some different tactics.

Once again, storytelling is your best bet when it comes to influencing your audience. Personal stories always have a lot of heart and it’s easy to figure out what emotions will result because you’ve been through the experience firsthand and know what mood you were in once you came out the other side. People are naturally good at emphasising with one another so, with a little bit of a push in the right direction, it can be fairly simple to get your audience on your side.

Whether you’re telling a personal story or simply relaying facts, you’ll want to get your audience putting themselves in your shoes (or the shoes of whoever you’re writing about!) Make it as easy as possible for your audience to do this by keeping everything relatable – let the audience know the similarities they share with the main player in the story before getting too imaginative with your words.

Changing how someone behaves

Often getting someone to act is facilitated by changing the way they think and feel first – but once you’ve done this, you still need to provide them with the tools to act on their thoughts and emotions.

It’s important to always include an emphatic ‘call to action’ in your content – tell your audience what steps they need to take next, compel them to act as if their life depends on it. This achieves two things: firstly, it makes it very easy for your audience to do what you’re trying to get them to do – they don’t have to search for your product or website themselves if you’re leading them straight to it; and secondly, it allows you strike while the iron is hot; when their emotions are running high and they’re already thinking about the problem you solve.

A call to action is especially useful if you’ve already provided your audience with a little taster of what’s to come. If you’re selling an eBook, for example, make sure your content shows off the high quality information that will be found in said eBook; in other words, provide them with a bit of value right away.

Finally, remember to show your audience the impact of their actions – will they be able to run a more efficient business? Will they help to save a child’s life? Reveal a tangible positive outcome of people’s changing behaviour to really hammer home your call to action.

Content is key when it comes to changing how your audience feel, think and act – so make sure you plan your content based on what you’re trying to accomplish!

If you’re struggling to put together compelling content, or just want to fine-tune what you’re doing, then get in touch – and we can help capitalise on some of the many opportunities provided by great content.

When sitting down to plan and write your content for your shiny new website, it can be hard to figure out where to start. Of course, if you’re just looking for a quick conversion for a one-off sale then content can remain pretty focused on calls to action, but if you want to stand out among your competitors and convert people into long-term customers then it’s important to put a little extra thought into it.

When it comes to content, website managers are normally pretty good at sussing out what information is important to relay to their customers, but it’s just as important to consider how you deliver and present the content. Today we’re going to run you through some of the important things to consider when preparing that content!

DO focus on your customer, not on yourself

Put yourselves in the shoes of your potential customer. What kind of problems do they have and what kind of solutions are they looking for? Naturally your company is in business to fix the problems of the consumer, so when you remind yourself what issues they’re facing it becomes a lot easier to produce content that actually makes their lives easier. Create a value proposition that’s focused on them and solving their problem, not on what you do.

DO consider the user journey

You can create absolutely life-changing, world-shattering content, but if your website is hard to navigate it may never be seen by the target audience. Consider how you can make it easy for people to find the info they need – for example, posing visible questions to the user so that they can determine which pages they need to visit. Check out our friends at Hatch.nz to see a great example of how this can be done well.

DO think about the why, not the what

Explaining to your users why you’re in business is a great way of gaining customers for life. Sure, a services page is fine, but make sure that you address WHY someone needs you and WHY you do what you do. Take a look at Simon Sinek’s ‘Start with why’ video on YouTube to find out how.

DO think about providing instant value

Can you give some value away to your users for free and demonstrate what makes you great? Your blog content, whether it’s solving common problems or providing tips and tricks, can show your users that there is value in your business and that you know what you’re talking about. In this day and age, we all have so many options of who to work with – so demonstrating your expertise and providing value before asking for anything is the best way to establish yourself as the leaders in your field.

DO tell your story – people want to see who you are and what you do

Storytelling has been around for generations, for good reason. Inspire your customers – yes, it’s important to make them think, but it’s also important to make them feel. Hearing a good story has been scientifically proven to increase empathy, which is going to make people more willing to buy in to your company and its ideals. Let your customers know that they’re dealing with real people by telling your own story and that of your customers.

DON’T talk about ‘we’ the whole time

Your customers want to know how they fit into your company – are they just a commodity for you to exploit, or are they people who you want to work with to make their business or lives great? Using words like ‘we’ excludes them from the big picture when you really want to be working together. As above, it’s important to focus on the customer and their needs, not just your company and what it does.

DON’T assume that people are experts like you are

The last thing you want to do is make your content difficult to understand. Sure, it’s important to use technical terms when appropriate, but try to cut back on unnecessary words that will make your content harder to read. Use plain English aimed at your customers, not jargon.

DON’T just keyword-stuff

Absolutely get in touch with an SEO expert to help you make sure your website is keyword rich – they can have a big impact on how many people find your website. However, Google also judges your website based on the quality of content – not just on how many times particular keywords show up on your website. Instead of stuffing your content with as many keywords as you can get, try to weave them naturally throughout the content. After all, while getting your customers to the website is important, it’s just important that you engage them once they’re there. How can you do that? By delivering great content.

If you struggle to demonstrate what makes you a leader in your field, or translate what makes your business so amazing into content, then get in touch – we can help.

In every time period, and in every culture throughout history, the art of storytelling has been ever-present. Storytelling has connected us through generations. When done well, it delivers a message, puts us in a compelling characters’ shoes and evokes powerful emotions.

It should, therefore, come as no surprise then to learn that storytelling is a tool that allows you to connect with your customers and prospects on a more intimate level than many other marketing methods.

Facts, figures and professional opinions can certainly tell a prospective customer a fair bit about your offering but, at the end of the day, these things are not going to get your prospect over the line – thinking is good, but ultimately you need to make them feel.

How storytelling works

Stories are amazing at getting people to relate to you. Stories have characters, and those characters have thoughts, feelings, challenges, failures, successes – things that everyone deals with on a personal level. By creating a character, you’re instantly giving the audience someone (or something) to root for. And that’s not just us saying it; studies have shown that character-driven stories consistently cause oxytocin synthesis – and oxytocin makes people more trustworthy, generous, charitable, and compassionate. In other words, it makes them more empathetic (which can only be a good thing!)

When listening to or reading a great story, an audience will go along on the ride with you, experiencing much of the same thing, including its inherent emotions. This is why storytelling is so incredible – you can effectively tell people how to feel.

Integrating storytelling into your communications

Now that you know how important storytelling is, the challenge is effectively implementing it into your marketing communications and your branding.

Many businesses promote their services based on what they offer – “you’ll X get amount of value but you’ll only have to pay Y dollars”. Unfortunately, this price-based proposition makes it difficult to distinguish anything else that what makes your company or offering different, or more special, than any of your competitors.

That’s where storytelling comes in.

Contrary to what you may think, your customers aren’t interested in buying your service, they’re interested in buying your company (a small part of it, anyway). Or, put another way: your customers care more about why you’re doing what you’re doing than anything else.

What problem are you trying to solve? Who are you trying to help? What problems have you faced along the way and how have you overcome them? These are the kinds of questions that will resonate with your audience and get them invested in your company. If you can communicate this kind of information through a compelling narrative, your customers will also be much more likely to stick with you for the long term.

Where to use stories

Your website is a great place to start delivering the message about why you do what you do. It’s important to give your customers an understanding of your business as a whole – where it’s come from and where it’s going to.

However, that’s not the only channel available at your disposal. There are a number of other places to exercise your storytelling muscles, including blog posts, case studies, and posts on social media.

When it comes to delivering compelling narratives about your business, the world is your oyster – and if you’d like help to craft your story, or ideas for how you can better share it with the world, get in touch.

One of our lovely partners first introduced us to Emma, Founder of Baby Sleep Consultant NZ, in late 2017 by gifting her one of our ‘Seeking Your Story’ facilitations. Throughout this workshop, it was clear that while Emma was doing a fantastic job of marketing communications across all her various channels, there were a lot of misconceptions that remained around what they did and acted as a barrier to engaging. Improvements could definitely be made to the way their story was being told.

Emma had used other copywriters in the past, but none had really ‘got it’.

“They were sending me work with spelling and grammatical errors in it, which didn’t instil much confidence,” shares Emma. “Their writing didn’t read well and was more like a robot wrote it. It also clearly showed that they didn’t understand what we did, so I never felt like they could actually help me in anyway or remove anything from my plate!”

This is where the upfront time investment that we make in the Seeking Your Story process pays off – by allowing us to really understand a business and its stories. (Emma says it even better in a recent review she shared about us – see below!) Throughout this process, we drilled down to Emma’s key messages – the primary things that she needed to be getting across – and then took a fresh look at what she really wanted to achieve with content.

Stories that have an impact

“Stories are an important part of our marketing because people don’t buy your product or service, they buy why you do it!” Emma enthuses. However, while compelling content is great, it’s not just about putting together some words that sound good – you ideally want it to have a measurable impact on your business. Through the ‘Seeking Your Story’ process, we defined Emma’s communications challenges and objectives before looking at the channels that we could help her harness to achieve those and authentically connect people to what she was doing.

Intelligent Ink worked first with some of Emma’s other digital marketing and web design and development partners to craft compelling content for a new version of the Baby Sleep Consultant NZ website; content that, once added to the upcoming website, will lead visitors through a specific and tailored user experience and ultimately lead to more conversions.

Consistent content is key

Having a great website is one thing but, for best results, you need new content to be added constantly to preserve your position in search results and give people a reason to keep coming back. Knowing there are countless examples of the positive impact that Baby Sleep Consultants’ offering has on the families with whom they work, Intelligent Ink are also now working alongside the Baby Sleep Consultants team to tell two incredible stories each month. Each month we talk to one consultant here in NZ, and one across the ditch, to discover an example of parents at the end of their tether who just need some support to get their kids sleeping soundly.

Incredible impacts

As well as being published on the Baby Sleep Consultants blog, the case studies are also being used across various other channels (such is the versatility of great content!) The first case study that we wrote was shared in a recent enewsletter and the impact it had was immediately felt. “Not long after the story was sent out, our inbox went ‘bang, bang, bang, with new bookings,” Emma shares. “It more than paid for what we invested in getting you to write it!” Not only that, Emma also confided that both open rates and click through rates were both up on this newsletter, as well as the number of resulting unsubscribes dropping.

Shares Emma, “Best copy writing I have experienced in over 5 years and trying 4 previous companies! They spend the time to understand you and your business and their voice sounds like yours, and they deliver amazing service. I would not hesitate to recommend their work to anyone.”

We’ve long known that stories have the power to move people to think, feel and act – but we love seeing tangible examples of this impact, and the achievement of such a positive return on investment! Contact us now to make sure that you’re telling stories in an impactful way.

Key messages. When you’re in business (or if you’re trying to build your own thought leadership position), having key messages is vital.

Consider Subway – what do you remember about them? That their sandwiches are made fresh and to order? That they’re the ‘healthier’ fast food option? Now why do you think those things? Because they’ve kept those key messages at the heart of nearly every piece of content and advertising that they’ve created throughout the years.

Or take someone like Simon Sinek. Although he’s done hundreds of talks and written a huge amount of content, what we remember is ‘Start with Why’ – because that’s the key message that he incorporates throughout most of his content.

Key messages – your communications foundations

Your key messages are the main points that you’re trying to communicate, told in a succinct way that makes them easy for other people to remember.

You might have only one or two key messages, or ones for every part of your business – but either way, they’re short, concise statements that highlight important aspects of your business and how you help customers. They should be easy for you and your team – and your customers! – to remember (or at least absorb the gist of them, in your customers’ case!

But why are they so important?

They keep your communications consistent

People remember and trust companies that are consistent. Creating consistent communications is key for building your professionalism, ensuring that people understand what makes you special and different, and keeping you top of mind among existing and prospective customers.

They arm your team with how to talk about the organisation

Whether sales people, your marketing team, or just general workers out there representing the company, everyone should know how to talk about what you do and what makes you special. Providing everyone in the organisation (particularly those who are interacting with potential customers) with key messages makes them feel confident about knowing how they can discuss the organisation. Plus it ensures that everyone gets the same brand experience, at least when it comes to your communications.

They provide direction for content creation

We know how much businesses struggle to come up with content ideas – but having strong key messages can provide a clear direction. Not only should your key messages form the basis of your website content, but they can also help with your blog or social content.

Don’t have any ideas? Take a look at your key messages and see whether you can create a post around one of them. Consider if you could address it in a different way. Is it likely to spark questions among prospective customers? Write content answering those questions. Using your key messages to spark content topics will help you ensure that any content you create is relevant and supports what your organisation is trying to achieve.

They make you memorable

If your customers can’t remember what you do, or what makes you different, how can they tell other people about you? Making it easy for your customers to remember how to talk about you is key if you want to stay top of mind, and build your brand positioning as leaders in the market.

Keen to get to work on your key messages? Book a call with our expert team to discuss how you can get your foundations right – and your people armed with awesome key messages.

With two out of three people in New Zealand affected either directly or indirectly by dementia, you’d think that it might be a more common conversation topic. Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of stigma surrounding dementia and sometimes it can seem like you can hear only crickets when you mention the condition! That’s exactly what Dementia Auckland is trying to change. Their method? The power of stories.

Spreading the word far and wide

When it comes to working with Dementia Auckland, us Inkers have been on the scene for a while. Although Dementia Auckland’s website, Mind Matters newsletter, and Facebook page have been operating since before we came into the picture, telling stories about dementia hasn’t always been an easy task for this not-for-profit.

For starters, Dementia Auckland’s target audience is super broad – dementia doesn’t just affect the person with the diagnosis, it also has an impact on the lives of their carers, family, colleagues, and wider circle of friends. With different communications tasks being assigned to different Dementia Auckland staff members, the stories that were being shared across the different media outlets weren’t always regular. When their hardworking staff members did squeeze in the time to work on telling stories, they were lacking an overarching message to tie the stories together.

Consistent communications

What Dementia Auckland needed was consistency and, since pulling in Intelligent Ink as their communications team about four years ago, we’ve been working on consistently telling their story.

With only 45% of their funding provided by District Health Boards, Dementia Auckland needs to make up the other 55% through their fundraising efforts – which are only successful if people know what they’re about, what they can do to help, and that their support is appreciated.

Because the most amazing impact that the organisation has happens at the ‘front lines’, Dementia Auckland recruited the key workers and socialisation team to help identify potential stories and, each month at their professional development day, we pick their brains for any cool stuff that’s been happening with clients. Stories can range from carers sharing their experiences looking after people with dementia, to volunteers talking about why they like to support Dementia Auckland, to staff members sharing their personal journeys.

But why tell these stories? They give people insight into the real struggles that people with dementia and their carers face, while also demonstrating the impact of what Dementia Auckland does. Sharing them consistently with supporters of the organisation keeps those supporters connected and reminds them why they give, and sharing those stories with a wider audience enables Dementia Auckland to build an even greater support network.

Throughout everything, a key priority for Dementia Auckland (and hence, us as their communications team) is consistently articulating the message that’s behind all the work they do for people in New Zealand’s biggest city – that dementia doesn’t mean that you can’t still live a fulfilling life.

For those wondering whether stories can make a difference – the results seen by Dementia Auckland say yes. With regular posts carrying a clear message throughout, more and more people are coming to find Dementia Auckland’s resources when they need them, and take comfort in knowing that they’re not alone. This increase in communication has been a big part of their increased fundraising efforts and has helped significantly increase the organisation’s income – helping them provide much-needed support services for even more people with dementia and their carers!

A continuous struggle to destigmatise

That said, the storytelling journey is far from over. Dementia still carries a stigma around it, holding people back from sharing their experiences in conversation, which we still see in clients worried about sharing their story.

One of the biggest challenges the organisation faces is helping people speak as openly about dementia as they now do about topics like depression, a once-taboo subject which has recently been brought more to the fore. Often the difference is awareness, which is why Dementia Auckland is continuing to share stories about the positive lifestyles that people affected by dementia can lead. For the people who have already found these stories, they’ve been able to share more openly their own experiences, and how they’ve adjusted to the changes dementia brings.

Destigmatising any topic can only be done when people take the lead and talk about them, and Dementia Auckland knows there is still progress to be made. But with Intelligent Ink supporting their storytelling journey, they know that in sharing a message of hope they’re on the right track.

So how can you help? Firstly, by talking about dementia with your friends and family – it doesn’t have to be a taboo topic! If you’ve got a family member with dementia (and they’re okay with it), share your story too – after all, we know how powerful personal stories can be. Dementia Auckland are there to support you along the way – just visit www.dementiaauckland.org.nz to find out how they can help.

Otherwise, to help people already affected by dementia, you can donate to Dementia Auckland here or, if you’re keen to keep up with what they’re doing, follow them on Facebook.

As we wrap up the stories of 2017, the Inkers are feeling reflective… Here we take a look back (just for a moment) at what we learnt this year, as well as sharing what we’re most looking forward to over the holidays, and what we’re most excited for in 2018.

We hope you all have an amazing break, take a wee bit of time to reflect on the lessons – and enter 2018 with lots of great stuff on the horizon.

Verity Craft

What I’ve learnt this year: That just doing what we love seriously does make coming to work a hell of a lot more enjoyable! Since specialising just in content, rather than trying to do PR and basically anything else that people asked for, we’ve been able to consistently do awesome work, get great feedback, and spend our time actually doing what makes us happy. Even though there have been some tricky times with changing our whole business model around, I think it’s been totally worth it and will make Intelligent Ink stronger in the long run. And I guess both personally and professionally, I’ve learnt that saying no to things is healthy and good. Whether I will remember this next time a show that I want to do holds auditions, is another thing entirely though!

What I’m most looking forward to over the holidays: Playing with my new kitten! And spending time with my family – my nephew and niece are at pretty damn adorable ages right now, so Christmas will be fun with them.

What I’m most excited for in 2018: Finally getting our new business model up and running properly, with all our Inkers doing as much work as they would like, happy consistent clients, and a thriving Intelligent Ink!

Christina Wedgwood

What I’ve learnt this year: That you have to do what you love, but that it won’t always be easy. That most choices mean you sacrifice something, so choose carefully. That feeding your toddler rice (or sushi) means you will have it deal with it being stuck to the bottom of your feet for at least the next 24 hours. And that perspective is everything and life is what you make it.

What I’m most looking forward to over the holidays: More swimming and spending Levi’s nap-times reading, as opposed to catching up on work. I’m also looking forward to some relaxing time and headspace just to reflect.

What I’m most excited for in 2018: Newborn snuggles again and watching Levi become a big brother. I’m also really excited to keep co-designing Intelligent Ink to be the best it can be, for us and our clients, as we further strengthen our relationships with partners and grow the team!

Logan Wedgwood

What I’ve learnt this year: Mainly the power of a relentless focus on outcomes. Too often we just start our day without much forethought and then deal with what is thrown at us. I have become much more brutal as to what gets my attention. If I can’t see the relationship to an outcome, I don’t give it attention. On a personal front, I have learnt that I am woefully lacking in animal noise vocabulary; I am fine with challenging Levi to a “moo”ing or “baa”ing contest, but as soon as you bring giraffes, zebra and deer into the conversation, I start to feel like a terrible father with no ‘real world’ knowledge that is applicable to conversing with a toddler.

What I’m most looking forward to over the holidays: Mainly I am looking forward to some space to think and reflect without the noise of the day-to-day.

What I’m most excited for in 2018: I’m very excited about 2018, which is set to be a year of a lot of opportunity as well as a lot of challenges.

Bren Gray

What I’ve learnt this year: We have much, much more influence than we think. The people we see doing amazing things in the world on a daily basis are ordinary people, just like you and me. A position of genuine influence is just around the corner, and it’s ours for the taking!

What I’m most looking forward to over the holidays: Inhaling as much New Zealand food as possible. Leaving our beautiful country in February means leaving behind pies, L&P, Mum’s trifle, proper ice cream… All the essential elements of my life for the past 25 years.

What I’m most excited about in 2018: Learning 24/7. My wife and I are spending the first half of 2018 in France, and the second half in India—purely with the intention of soaking up as much learning, perspective and language as possible. The juxtaposition from being in the grind of Auckland working-life, to swanning around the south of France with my nose in a book is one that’s immensely appealing!

Tania Seward

What I’ve learnt this year: 2017 has been all about running for me – and the best runs are the ones where I’ve had to cajole myself out the front door or wanted to give up halfway through. Perseverance and sheer stubbornness always pay off!

What I’m most looking forward to over the holidays: Doing an epic 8-day hike into Ivory Lake Hut, which sits on the edge of a glacier in Westland – and meeting my nephew Harley for the first time on Christmas Eve.

What I’m most excited for in 2018: Spending more time with the Intelligent Ink crew and building relationships with some of our long-term clients, and training for the 2018 Routeburn Classic – a 33km mountain run along the Routeburn Track in April.

Jennifer Johnsen

What I’ve learnt this year: That things have an amazing way of finding you at just the right time in your life. Also, that Victorian cast iron fireplaces are heavy.

What I’m most looking forward to over the holidays: I’m most looking forward to renovating the new house we just bought. We’ve found some real bargains on eBay which should help with the renovations. Last week we bought a Victorian cast iron fireplace (hence the learning above!) that’s decorated with ornate period tiles down the sides, along with a matching antique mantelpiece – all for only $100!

What I’m most excited for in 2018: Pretending to be a barista and making lots of trim lattes (or ‘skinny’ as they say here in Australia), with the fancy new coffee machine that I’m getting for Christmas.

Emily Woodward

What I’ve learnt this year: If you love something, just do it, and opportunities will come your way. 2017 was the first year of my creative writing blog and the last year of my university studies (BA in English and Media Studies). It was the blog that got me my first freelance writing work, which helped me discover a whole new world of writing work that I didn’t know about. I looked further into content writing as a career and attended a careers event at University about working as a freelancer – which is how I got my internship here at Intelligent Ink!

What I’m most looking forward to over the holidays: Relaxing at Waihi Beach – and going to the Bryan Adams concert!

What I’m most excited for in 2018: My first full-time job! I hope next year continue to be another great year of learning, growth, and opportunities!

In the age of the internet, it’s absolutely vital to establish at least some sort of online presence for a business; even if you don’t really conduct your business online.

While it’s true that anyone can produce online content, many of you will understand by now that not all content is created equal. You’ve also likely heard us say this before, but if you want to succeed professionally, effectively communicate what makes you special and different, and connect with customers and engage readers, you need to regularly produce compelling content.

Although more easily said than done in many cases, most of us have some idea of the difference between compelling content and boring or bland (read: ineffective) writing. However, for those still establishing their online presence, or those who are juggling online as just one channel within their marketing mix, the thought of having to continually create compelling content can seem daunting.

Place yourself in the shoes of someone searching for your business online. What search terms are they likely to use? What results will show up first? Keywords are an excellent tool for creating a clear image about who you are and what you do, as well as securing a spot in search results. Keywords also guarantee that your website matches what a user expects to find in their searches—so make sure that the language and terms you use to get people to the page continue throughout your content also.

Keywords don’t have to be difficult to figure out. Begin with a brainstorm of all the topics, phrases, and potential search terms that relate to what your company does – but remember, the key point above is that you need to put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Often the words that you use to talk about your offering within your organisation are not what an external person might think of. Beware of industry jargon, and if possible, sense check your list with friends, or an expert, who is not involved with your business, as they will have a more similar lens to your customers.
From there, the use of your keywords becomes relatively simple… Use them as inspiration for your written content to strengthen the identity of your business – and regularly create and add new content that will also help to boost your rankings.

2. Include strong calls to action

Also known as CTAs, a call to action is a way of encouraging website visitors to complete a specific action as a result of visiting your content. Whether it’s through a pop-up, hyperlink, or embedding a video into a blog post, CTAs encourage readers to download, trial, buy, book, subscribe, or preview your goods or services.

A good CTA should make it easy for visitors to engage with your business online. Word your CTAs in a way that makes the reader feel rewarded—you want them to have a positive experience on your website! Try to avoid bombarding readers with too many CTAs too; it’s best to be selective and consider what will best lead them to your desired outcome. It’s also possible to be creative with your overall content in order to ensure they think, feel or do what you’re hoping after reading also, so think strategically about this or talk to an expert.

3. Give your website a narrative

Imagine that you are discovering your website for the first time. How did you get there? Where will you head to next? The layout of your website and its content are all part of its story, so make sure that it makes sense and that they can flow intuitively through the journey you want them to have with you online! If users find the experience of being on your website too confusing, they won’t keep exploring for long.

Consider the way you want people to interact with your website and consider the technical aspects like the navigation in considering whether it supports this journey. Content plays a part here too – as constructing an online narrative within your website content can lead visitors where you want them to go and keep them engaged – ultimately leading to better results and more valuable traffic!

4. Keep your content fresh

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: when it comes to creating engaging content, consistency is key! Google isn’t fond of websites that haven’t been updated in a while, and neither are users. Weekly – or even fortnightly – blog posts are a great way to keep your website up to date; they bring back regular viewers who are invested in what you have to say, as well as increasing your pool of key terms that might appear in the search engine results for new viewers.

Not sure what to write about or how to write it? Start with your keywords and see which ideas are worth delving into a little deeper. If people are searching for these terms, they’re obviously interested in finding out more! A minimum of 500 words per post is required if you want to rank in search engines, and there’s no upper limit as to how many words you can include. Just make sure that your content is easy to read and navigate. Subheadings, bolding key words or phrases, and bullet pointing important lists make your content visually easier to navigate, allowing readers to scroll through a post until they spot what they’re looking for.

Though content writing may seem like a time-consuming task that’s difficult to master, it’s well worth the effort! If you don’t feel like you have the time or the specialist skill-set, we’d love to help you create the compelling online content that your business needs. Feel free to contact us for a chat.

Verity has long been a member of Venus, a women’s business network that supports businesswomen to thrive. We were thrilled to be able to contribute this article to their print magazine recently. Click here to view the full magazine or read on to see our article below.

“Those who tell the stories rule the world” – as the Native American proverb says. Words that are as true today as when they were first spoken.

In today’s fast-moving environment, the most effective communication comes from telling interesting and valuable stories. Stories have the ability to evoke emotion, bring back memories and mobilise us to act. In this way, stories are powerful and stories can move us.

We instinctively feel that as consumers, and now businesses are starting to realise that, in order to play to win, they need to embrace the power of storytelling. In 2016, Forbes referred to storytelling as the new strategic imperative of business.

Stories help a business to own their niche, create authentic connections with their market and win in their competitive environment, but not all stories can do this… so what makes a great one?

For a story to drive a conversation with the market, it needs to connect people to what makes a brand or business special and different. People care about organisations they connect to; it’s that simple.

Think about how you get close to others in Venus: you sit down for a Rave and share things about yourself. Over time, you reveal what drives you, what you like and dislike, your values – all the things that make you uniquely ‘you’. And you do that through telling stories. The narratives we tell other Venus members allow us to form relationships; the same is true for brands.

Storytelling may seem old-fashioned, but that’s exactly why it works to forge genuine connections. So, how do you tell a great story – one that inspires people to think, feel and do?

Be authentic: The best stories are real; they’re honest. They provide a true insight into a brand, a business, or a person. They have compelling characters. Consumers are savvy and know when they’re merely being fed marketing lines. Find real and authentic ways of communicating your points of difference. Chances are, the thing you do excites you and it has the potential to be exciting for others too, if you can connect them to why you do it, and what it means for you.

Surprise and delight: Good storytelling evokes a strong neurological response; you follow the narrative, live through the characters’ trials and tribulations, and are along on the journey as they reach a resolution. The suspense builds, followed by the seductive surge of dopamine – and this happy little brain chemical makes us feel infatuation; a vitally important ingredient for brands.

Keep it simple: Key to any great story is that they make us think and feel. To do this, the best stories are simple – focusing around one single important idea, theme or message. You don’t want people to leave people confused; if you’ve got more ideas, write more stories. One clear idea is far more effective for evoking emotions and, when you can get people to feel, you can get people to act. That is why storytelling is vital to business.

Or, as Harrison Monarth, author of The Confident Speaker says: “A story can go where quantitative analysis is denied admission: our hearts. Data can persuade people, but it doesn’t inspire them to act; to do that, you need to wrap your vision in a story that fires the imagination and stirs the soul.”

Intelligent Ink had been working with Hardy’s Health Stores for over four years, providing all of the editorial content for their MyHardy’s (and later, Discover) magazine before the brand went into receivership in early 2017. Diana and Vince Burgess bought the business and, having been involved with owning Hardy’s stores for some time, bought with them their commitment to bringing the brand back to its former glory – and then some!

Knowing the role that Intelligent Ink had played in the Hardy’s brand voice until that point, Diana soon got in touch with Intelligent Ink to see if we could help.

A legacy lives on

Hardy’s had been a household name for coming up 31 years and their loyal base of customers valued the professional advice and education that were strong values of the brand. Diana and Vince’s primary objective was to continue to communicate with Hardy’s customers – both old and new – by sharing valuable content, like they had been used to, and telling the stories that helped to convey the brand’s personality.

Further to that, was the desire to conduct a coordinated conversation with these customers and the market, demonstrating that although the Hardy’s brand may now have a smaller footprint than previously, they are still the best at what they do and had some new and unique points of difference to offer the market.

An integrated approach

While the magazine formed the cornerstone of the communications strategy for Hardy’s, they knew that having a coordinated conversation with the market would require integration across all of their external communications channels, including social media, their website and blog and regular enewsletters to their substantial database.

As well as drilling down to the brand’s target audiences and key messages, Intelligent Ink started from a seasonal theme standpoint and, from there, created a calendar that specified coordinated, channel-appropriate content for use across all of Hardy’s communications.

Mission successful

Working alongside our design and print partner, a launch issue of the newly-imagined magazine was put together in record time and is already having the desired effect! Not only has there been great feedback from Hardy’s customers following the magazine appearing in stores and in their letterboxes, Diana reports that there was a definite increase in turnover the week after the magazine was released.

Suppliers have been complimentary also, with some disappointed that they were not invited to advertise in the first edition and already booking a slot in the summer issue. For Diana, “the nicest part was when I received comments from a couple of key account managers saying they loved the professionalism of the mag and how it delivered our brand values.”

The Intelligent Ink team are already working on the plan and content for the summer issue, researching and writing editorial, and liaising with suppliers to craft their advertorial features also.

“Intelligent Ink delivers fast, efficient service. Director Christina Wedgwood always has her creative synapses firing and she doesn’t miss a trick. With a wide range of professional skills and services and fast turnaround delivery, Intelligent Ink would be a useful communications contact for any company.”